November 26 News Items

NASA Conducts Pilot Cognition Studies (Source: NASA)
NASA is investigating the best methods for monitoring brain activity as part of a study designed to help airplane pilots realize when they are operating under dangerous levels of stress, fatigue and distraction. Studies under way at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland are employing functional near infrared spectroscopy, also know as fNIRS, and other imaging technology to measure blood flow in the brain's cortex and the concentration of oxygen in the blood. This emerging technology offers a non-invasive, safe, portable and inexpensive method for monitoring indicators of neural activity. (11/26)

Towards a Canadian Space Policy (Source: Space Politics)
The CBC talked this week with Marc Garneau, the first Canadian in space, former president of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and newly-elected member of Parliament. Garneau, the “science and technology critic” for the minority Liberal party, was asked what a Canadian space policy should be, given that he advocated for one prior to being elected. While stating that he would have to coordinate his own personal views with those of his party, now that he was an elected official, he did offer some ideas of why Canada should have a space policy. Click here to read more. (11/26)

Orbital Outfitters Teams Up Texas A&M, Dittmar on Constellation Suits (Source: Orbital Outfitters)
Orbital Outfitters, Inc. (OO), Texas A&M University, and Dittmar Associates have been selected as a team to develop new concepts for a “soft shoulder” for NASA’s new Constellation space suit that is to support future missions to the International Space Station and beyond. These missions include the return of humans to the Moon and potentially to Mars. NASA's objective is to “develop a shoulder mobility joint without a Scye bearing.” Successful removal of the Scye bearing (used in present suit designs) greatly reduces the potential for shoulder and other injuries under operations that become off nominal during launch and landing. (11/26)

Air Force, NASA to Fly Scramjets Out of Edwards (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The Department of Defense and NASA plan to conduct high-altitude flight tests of advanced scram-jet technology beginning in 2011 that could lead to high-speed aircraft and next-generation space vehicles. “The types of aircraft studied...are one-of-a kind research aircraft that will be developing new capabilities to fly efficiently at high speed within the atmosphere using supersonic combustion ramjet engines (Scramjet),” according to a description of the program. The tests, which will fly up to an altitude of 264,000 feet, would take place out of Edwards Air Force Base and from offshore aircraft carriers. The vehicles will fly over the western United States and over the Pacific Ocean, landing back at the desert test facility. (11/26)

Goodrich to Supply Satellite for Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) (Source: Goodrich)
Goodrich Corp. has received a contract from the Department of Defense for the first operational satellite system in support of Operationally Responsive Space (ORS). The satellite, designated ORS Sat-1, is to be manufactured and integrated by Goodrich's ISR Systems team in Danbury, Conn. ORS is focused on the ability to quickly and affordably implement space capabilities that benefit the warfighter. Goodrich has partnered with ATK Space Systems, based in Herndon, Va. for the ORS Sat-1 project. ATK will provide the satellite bus, or spacecraft vehicle platform. (11/26)

Gates to Retain Defense Post, Sources Say (Source: AIA)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates will likely remain in his post under President-elect Barack Obama, providing continuity in foreign policy at a time when the U.S. is fighting two wars simultaneously. Observers say the reappointment of Gates signals a shift away from a firm pullout date in Iraq, once a major promise of the Obama campaign. Besides Gates, sources say Obama will announce on Monday that he has tapped former NATO Supreme Commander Gen. James Jones as his national security adviser. (11/26)

Iran Reports Rocket Launch Amid Nuclear Tension (Source: Reuters)
Iran has successfully launched a rocket called "Kavosh 2," Iran's state media reported on Wednesday, displaying the Islamic state's advances in ballistics at a time when the West is worried about its nuclear ambitions. State television did not give any further details about "Kavosh 2," which means "Explorer 2," saying details will be announced later. "The rocket was launched to register and send correct environmental data and (to test) separation of the engine from the body," state radio said.

The long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into space can also be used for launching weapons. Iran caused international concern in February by testing a domestically made Explorer 1 rocket as part of its satellite program. Tehran said it needed two more similar tests before putting a domestically made satellite into orbit. On August 17, Iran said it had put a dummy satellite into orbit on a domestically made rocket for the first time. U.S. officials said the attempted launch was a failure. (11/25)

Jupiter Has Large, Rocky Core Surrounded By Layer Of Ice (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Berkeley CA (SPX) Nov 26, 2008 - Jupiter has a rocky core that is more than twice as large as previously thought, according to computer calculations by a University of California, Berkeley, geophysicist who simulated conditions inside the planet on the scale of individual hydrogen and helium atoms. (11/26)

Italy heads European Space Agency (Source: UPI)
The 18 member states of the European Space Agency plus Canada have decided in the Netherlands that Italy will head the agency until 2011. The countries decided during a two-day meeting that began Tuesday that Italy, a founding member of the ESA and currently the third-largest contributor to the 33-year-old agency, should run the space program until a new country is chosen in 2011, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. (11/26)

Crews Relieved as Rotary Unit, Urine Recycler Fixed (Source: Florida Today)
The joined crews of shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station made great strides Tuesday toward doubling the size of outpost crews next May. With the linked spacecraft soaring 220 miles above Earth, the astronauts finally got a new urine recycling system to work, converting "yesterday's coffee into today's coffee," shuttle skipper Chris Ferguson said. The news got even better when the station's starboard solar wing made two full revolutions without trouble -- a sign that spacewalking repairs to a giant rotary mechanism worked as intended. The faulty solar wing rotary mechanism had not been operating properly since September 2007, limiting the amount of power that could be produced on the station. (11/26)

Europe's 10 Billion-Euro Space Vision (Source: BBC)
The money needed to exploit the space station was the big sticking point on the first day of discussions about the future of the European Space Agency. The 18 ESA member states met in The Hague to try to agree an activity budget totalling 10.3bn euros. The station is the single biggest item at 1.3bn euros, but Germany says this sum is simply too small to cover all of Europe's commitments to the platform. And in discussions with France and Italy, it sought a major increase. Click here to view the article. (11/26)

Progress Coming, Leonardo Going (Source: Florida Today)
A freighter carrying tons of supplies was launched on its way to the International Space Station Wednesday, just as Endeavour's crew prepares to return a larger cargo module to the shuttle's payload bay. The Russian Progress vehicle launched from Kazakhstan carrying more than two tons of fuel, oxygen, water and other supplies. Those supplies include holiday gifts for the Russian cosmonaut and two American astronauts who will remain on board after Endeavour departs Friday. One of two antennas that help guide the vehicle in its final docking maneuver with the station did not deploy properly, and the problem is being investigated. (11/26)